This thesis is divided in two papers, each focusing on a distinct issue. In the first paper (Chapter 2), public preferences for poplar biotechnology are examined in western Canada. Using a sample of the public from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, respondents were asked to...

This thesis evaluates economic impact of adoption of crops developed by means of modern genomic tools. The economic impact of these improved crops is looked at from two different angles: the welfare implications from trading improved crops on the world market, and the benefits of adopting...

This research examines the applications of novel technologies (nanotechnology and genomics) and the public’s purchasing intentions in the Canadian food industry (national online surveys). Canadian consumers’ preferences and their willingness to pay for four hypothetical products treated with two...

Abstract The ability to identify and remove sub-fertile boars from the breeding herd is critical to improving reproductive efficiency of pork production systems. Use of semen from sires exhibiting sub-fertility can result in decreased sow pregnancy and farrowing rates, as well as smaller litter...

A decade after the completion of the human genome project, the rapid advancement of the high-throughput measurement technologies has made omics (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) profiling feasible. The availability of such omics profiles has raised the hope for the...

Genetic improvements in beef and dairy cattle can bring significant advances in satisfying the global food demand, which is expected to double by 2050. Several DNA markers have been identified on bovine chromosome 14 (BTA14), but low mapping resolution prevents their refinement for identification...